1. Field
One or more exemplary embodiments relate to a field electron emitter including a nucleic acid-coated carbon nanotube (“CNT”) and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Research on field emission was begun by the Stanford Research Institute, from which electron beam micro-devices based on field emission arrays has been introduced and realized. A Spindt-type field emitter, which is a basis of typical field emission displays (“FEDs”), includes a micro-sized field emission tip and an anode, to which a gate electrode and a fluorescent substance for collecting emitted electrons are applied, wherein the field emission tip is formed on a cathode. Research is being conducted into replacing a molybdenum (Mo) tip that is typically used in the FED with a CNT.
In order to manufacture a field electron emitter using a carbon nanotube (“CNT”), a cathode is first deposited and then a CNT is deposited on the cathode or is printed on the cathode using CNT paste. Since it is difficult to deposit a CNT each time using chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”) and a patterning process is also difficult to perform, the use CNT paste is predominant. The cathode may be formed using two methods: one is using vacuum deposition equipment or a general photolithography process to deposit Cr or Mo, and the other is stencil printing a material such as Ag and then calcinating the printed material. In the former case, the vacuum deposition equipment process is complicated and in the latter case, raw materials are expensive and thus a manufacturing cost is high. The CNT paste is printed and is calcinated at a high temperature of 400° C. to 500° C. Then, the CNT on the surface is activated and thus the CNT may be used as a field electron emitter. As another method, the CNT, which appeared on the resulting surface by dispersing the CNT in a copper plating solution and plating depositing the copper plating solution and the CNT together, may be used as a field emitter tip, or alternatively an indium layer is deposited on an ITO electrode and the CNT is dispersed on the deposited indium layer and then is heat treated so that the CNT is embedded in the indium layer, thereby forming a field electron emitter.